Abdul-Jabbar Plans to Auction Collection

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says he’s going to sell the majority of his basketball memorabilia.

The Hall of Fame center says about 400 items will be sold in the coming months, but hasn’t specified a platform or timetable. He says a portion of the proceeds will be directed to a charity his Skyhook Foundation.

The first portion of the auction includes 25 items that he received during his final NBA season of 1988-89, when visiting clubs presented him with gifts. Other items will be sold later including career memorabilia such as the basketball used to set the NBA career scoring record, a mark he still holds.

A couple of years ago, Abdul-Jabbar had an agreement with Julien’s, a Beverly Hills-based auction company, but the two parties got into a legal dispute and the former Bucks and Lakers standout and a crew retrieved hundreds of items that Julien’s had planned to sell. At the time, Abdul-Jabbar and his attorney stated the items “were very special” him. He had to pay a $150,000 bond to get them back, which he did and then showed off to TMZ.com.

Now, he’s apparently taking control of his own collection, which is stored in a large warehouse, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.

“I’ve gone through this and a lot of it you go back and forth,” the 68-year-old Abdul-Jabbar said. “Certain things you think, ‘Oh, geez, I don’t want that,’ and then you have a memory and say, ‘I might want to keep that.’ You’ve got to go back and forth. There’s always some anxiety in that, but I’ve been through it. I kind of have an understanding of what really is important and what isn’t. I think I’ll be OK.

“This isn’t a financial decision. This is me trying to deal with my legacy in a way that has some dignity and makes common sense.”

He offered a video tour of some of the items that will go on the block and also talked about his decision to sell. You can read—and watch—here.

About Rich Mueller

Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for more than 30 years and a collector for even longer than that, he's usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected]